Southern California Medical License and Criminal Convictions
Our Orange County, Ca law firm receives a lot of calls from physicians in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County and San Diego County who have either been arrested for a crime or have been convicted of a crime. The number one question is how their criminal case will effect their medical license and what actions the California Medical Board can take. So, it is worth mentioning again.
Physicians, like anybody, are susceptible to committing crimes including; DUI, Fraud, Illegally Prescribing Meds, Drug Possession and Domestic Violence, just to name a few. Each case is different and the Board reviews cases on an individual basis. They will review police reports and any supplemental material to determine if there is an underlying cause for the conduct such as alcohol abuse and DUI’s or financial difficulties and theft or fraud charges. They will also assess whether the physician is unfit or unworthy of a California Medical License.
The Board conducts their own investigation and may learn information that was not available or known at the criminal stages. This could mean office staff, nurses and colleagues are interviewed. This could mean random drug testing. This could mean taking business records from medical offices. As you can see, the discovery of incriminating evidence that can be used against you and your license is huge. It is critical that a medical license defense attorney is consulted during this process as it could mean the difference between keeping your license and losing your license. In fact, if a physician is arrested or being investigated by law enforcement for a crime, I would recommend hiring a criminal defense attorney in Southern California who also handles medical license defense cases. This would ensure both the physician and the medical license are protected at the earliest stages of the case.
Pilchman and Kay, PLC is an Orange County based criminal defense and professional license defense firm. We handle state, federal and medical board cases in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Diego County and San Bernardino County. We welcome you to call us for a free consultation regarding any medical license or criminal defense case.
